Elysian Punkuccino Coffee Pumpkin Ale: Brewed in Seattle, WA at a strength of 5% abv and infused with Stumptown Coffee, this new Elysian release has already cracked the Top 10 Spice/Herb/Vegetable Beer Category of Ratebeer.com so I was excited to find this and add it to my annual pumpkin beer lineup to see what all the fuss was about.
Aroma and Appearance: It pours a dark coffee brown colour with a thin foam layer and no visible carbonation. The aroma consists of coffee, pumpkin, cinnamon, earth and chocolate all of it fairly fresh smelling. a good sign so far.
Flavour: This one has lots of earthy coffee up front which I really like, some cocoa and mild cinnamon and pumpkin notes arrive in in the middle (fresh tasting, not fake) and it finishes with a nice creamy texture with nutmeg and a lightly leathery dry bitterness.
Overall Impression: Honestly, like a cold pumpkin spice latte – not sweet though – but tasty.
Rating: I liked this a lot, 8.5/10 excellent and a half, it’s on my repeat list for next year for sure.
Food Pairing: Get some nutty not overly sweet biscotti and enjoy it with this beer, just like non sweet biscotti and good coffee it will pair nicely together.
Now Elysian really is the king of pumpkin beers, they have a huge fest every year in Seattle featuring all kinds of creations. It’s something I would like to go to at some point over the next few years and fun creative advertising like this makes it even more intriguing.
West Coast Beer Geek 